Attempt to smuggle ancient bronze coins aborted

06-05-2018 10:59 PM

Sanaa’ Farouk

Three bronze coins that go back to the Greco-Roman era were seized from an American passenger who attempted to smuggle them out of Burg al-Arab Airport, west of Alexandria, into Libya.

Hamdy Hamman, head of the central department for ports and archeological units, a department which represents the Ministry of Antiquities at Egypt’s ports and airports, said that the coins were officially inspected and proved to be authentic. They were accordingly confiscated.

Reaching Out

Watani started as an Egyptian weekly Sunday newspaper published in Cairo. The word Watani is Arabic for “My Homeland”. The paper was founded in 1958 by the prominent Copt Antoun Sidhom (1915 – 1995), who strove for the establishment of a civil, democratic society in Egypt, where all Egyptians would enjoy full citizenship rights regardless of their religious denomination. To this day when Watani is published as a weekly paper and an online news site, the objective remains the same. Those in charge of Watani view this role as a patriotic all-Egyptian vocation. Special attention is given to shedding light on Coptic culture and tradition as authentically Egyptian, this being a topic largely disregarded or little-understood by Egypt’s media. Watani is deeply dedicated to offer its readers high quality, extensive, objective, credible and well-researched media coverage, with special focus on Coptic issues, culture, heritage, and contribution to Egyptian society.